Justification
by Samsara
Summary: What if, i book 5, Stanton had left L.A. in mental stress caused by Serena? What if Serena went after him? S+S :P


Justification  
  
-Samsara-  
  
samsara: okay, people generally enjoy asking me why i wrote a fic...  
  
mina: do they now? ::sarcastic voice::  
  
samsara: yes, mina, they do, so i'm gonna tell all the people out there why i wrote this fic!  
  
mina: i still don't get the concept... -.-()  
  
samsara: that's because you failed to ever read the books!  
  
mina: oh..yeah. i see  
  
samsara: enlightened are we?  
  
mina: more than you are  
  
samsara: okay, i wrote this cos Serena was getting on my nerves when she was being a bitch to poor Stanton in the 5th book. This starts in Chapter 24 of book 5. And this is still a Stanton + Serena fic, so no worries. pweese enjoy...  
  
mina: hardly...  
  
samsara: go write your gw fic with Wuu-bear and his glass of champagne with a fly in it :P  
  
mina: .... fool  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Justification  
  
Chapter One : Can you, Would you?  
  
  
  
  
  
Stanton continued to stare down at his near cold cup of coffee as Cassandra walked towards him. He really could care a bit more about her presence, that is, if his mind weren't elsewhere. Serena. Serena. Serena. The name echoed in his head for miles, refusing to grant him leave. Why did she always do this? It wasn't his fault that Catty had disappeared, and yet she blamed him. He had once been told by an old Health teacher that humans have to either blame or deny. Maybe that was true, but how so in this situation?!  
  
They were supposed to be able to trust each other, now that he was no longer an immortal, right? And yet Serena still let his past sink into her judgment of him. Were her morals so screwed up that she refused to reason with him or even hear him out? It sure as hell seemed that way.  
  
The troubled boy didn't even notice what Cassandra said when she sat herself down next to him. It was the ring that caught his eye.  
  
"What did you do to Serena?" Stanton asked, hostile thoughts reaching his head before pacifist ones.  
  
"Why would you think that?! Oh, never mind. I only have it because she left on a sink after washing her hands" Cassandra informed him, taking the offered cup of coffee. When he did not reply, the girl continued in a gentle tone.  
  
" I went back to the Planet Bang to try and tell them that it wasn't your fault, but they didn't believe me. They shoved me away and locked themselves in the bathroom. Here, take the ring. I have a feeling she doesn't want it anymore,"  
  
"Take the ring back to her," Stanton said gruffly and stood, reaching into his pocket and tossing change onto the counter, before turning to leave.  
  
"Hold on a minute Crusader!" Cassandra yelled angrily after him, catching him by the arm and shoving the ring into his shirt pocket.  
  
"Let me go," Stanton's voice seemed so cold and unforgiving. Luckily, she was stubborn.  
  
"I know what you're going to, and there is no way I'm letting you do that!" Cassandra's anger seethed through her veins, causing Stanton to take a second glance and her and return to his seat.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked, true curiosity filling him up. Outside a car whirled by at top speed, distracting Cassandra in the magic of its speed.  
  
"You're going to go and destroy Lambert and save Serena," Her accusation stood more as a fact than a threat.  
  
"What's wrong with that?" came his simple reply. His answer sounded hesitant, but Cassandra knew better than to let herself be led like that.  
  
"First off, Lambert's not around anymore. The Atrox wanted him for a special mission, one for the Daughters of the Sun, so you'll have to go halfway 'round the world to kill him. Second, that girl doesn't deserve you! I mean, stop and think about it! Stanton, I'm not only saying this because I'm in love with you, it's because it's the truth. She's the one who switched you over, isn't she? And she's also the one who can't trust you now, right? All this time you've been hurting just to see her or be with her, and she kicks it all back in your face! Can you really stand up for someone who makes your heart shatter and then recollect their pieces?" Cassandra was furious; Stanton didn't need to read her mind to know that much. The coffee on the counter was shaking from the vibrations that Cassandra was causing.  
  
"I'm doing it because I love her. She may not understand, but I still love her," Stanton stated solemnly, standing up and walking to the door.  
  
"Get a clue! Open your god damned eyes Stanton! Love can never exist without the essentials! You need trust, understanding, courage and will! You only have half of that!" Cassandra was screaming now, but unmoving. It was a miracle the waitress hadn't come in from the back, or they might have some serious explaining to do.  
  
Stanton barely blinked but continued through the doorway, out to his car. Was Cassandra right? Serena never fully understood the consequences of them meeting, or why he had to break up with her. He knew that she had never been in the position of where her loyalties lay; everything had always been laid out nice and neat for her. Sometimes it made him wonder if she only dated him to get some adventure, which he knew wasn't true. Serena did love him, or she loved him back when he was a follower, but now, he couldn't be sure. He couldn't reach into her mind, and reading eyes wasn't always the most accurate way of deciding peoples' feelings. Cassandra was right about Lambert though. If he was halfway around the world, Stanton had no chance of getting him.  
  
"Lambert doesn't pose a threat to Serena or you right now. He has to prove his loyalty to the Atrox before he can destroy you. Please, Stanton. Go away from here, at least for a month or so, head up to Seattle to your sister, she can protect you. I... I think you need to get away from all this and get an opinion from someone who's not in the picture," Cassandra seemed to answer his thoughts. It would be nice to take a break. And Lambert posed no threat...  
  
"Do you have a pen and paper?" Stanton asked her, reaching out blindly for the requested articles.  
  
Silently, Cassandra dug through her messenger bag and pulled out the objects. Within a few minutes, Stanton refolded the paper he'd written on and replaced it in her hands, along with the ring.  
  
" Take this to Serena, and don't read the note," Stanton told her firmly, as Cassandra put the ring on and shoved the paper into her bag. As she did so, Stanton got in his car and started the engine.  
  
" Stanton? Is there any way you can ever trust me again?" Her voice was soft and her hand trembled as it touched the side view mirror.  
  
"I don't know," was the simple reply, which was soon caught in the wind as he drove off, leaving a very hopeful outcasted girl behind.  
  
  
  



End file.
